eucalyptus viminalis

I reached up, and ever up,

my palm skimming grey, morning green,

and a wraith of sandstorm-brown.

I climbed and saddled myself astride

the notch of two dividing, naked limbs,

my sap to the tree’s sap, my limbs locked around you,

my lips to your smooth, cool bark;

the scent, the sense of your leaves,

the bitterness of girls’ hair in the rain,

the taste of it on my tongue.

I knew how there was no right mind in love,

only being grafted against my will to the eucalyptus,

now less than half woman,

yet not quite all tree.

— Marie Marshall, Apr 23, 2011

About This Poem

Review Request Direction: [This option has been removed]

Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft

About the Author

Region, Country: by Dundee, Scotland, GBR

Favorite Poets: I try not to be influenced; I like the work of Chez Harvey and Lane A Smith, I admire Richard Siken but don't often like his work. I admire Lisa Jarnot. I can take Carol Ann Duffy and Liz Lochhead in small doses. I am in awe of Shakespeare, Yeats, and Dylan Thomas. I think Robert Browning and Philip Larkin should have been strangled at birth.

Critiques

magics02

15 years 1 month ago

Awesome

I have to come back for second read but I caught the essence in this write and the image of it all says much. Good job Marie

Blessings
Mona

Marie Marshall

15 years 1 month ago

Thanks :)

Thanks, Mona.

CCfire

15 years 1 month ago

Of course I had to

come read when I saw the title :) and I love the joining of the tree genus with the human one and the aroma's of the eucalypti are well known, so much so they put it into a liniment they call Goanna Oil lol which literally doesn't mean there is a goanna in it at all :P Marie this is just you with that soft girlish edge I love reading in your work.